Belgian Gambling Commission Flags Advertising Law Loopholes
The Belgian Gambling Commission’s secretariat is calling for a fundamental review of the country’s gambling advertising law, warning that illegal gambling websites are advertising freely while licensed operators circumvent restrictions through thinly veiled news sites. The commission’s member Ignace Vandewalle has accused lawmakers of “poor parliamentary work,” stating that “every law that has holes and loopholes is a bad law.”
The call comes more than two years after Belgium’s principled ban on gambling advertising took effect in September 2024, which prohibited gambling ads across media, sports, and public spaces. Despite the legislation, VRT NWS reports that gambling companies have found creative ways to remain visible, including creating news websites with nearly identical names and logos to their gambling brands.
The News Site Loophole
Gambling operators have established “news platforms” that closely mirror their casino brands. Circus Daily appears on the shirts of football clubs Standard and Antwerp, while Star Sport tv replaces Star Casino at Dender, and U-experts substitutes Unibet at Club Brugge and Charleroi. The Circus Daily logo was also visible on microphones during Tour de France interviews.
Circus Daily claims to be a “full-fledged sports media project” that does not violate current legislation, a position supported by a judge in Tournai who ruled in 2025 that advertising for the news site is legal as long as it does not directly reference the gambling site.
Vandewalle acknowledges the legal gray area. “As the law currently describes it, they are 100 percent right,” he said. “It goes against the spirit of the law, but it’s possible because the law is not clear enough.” He insists the loophole must be closed: “Everyone may set up a sports channel or provide sports coverage, but it may not be named after a gambling company. Advertising with similar names and logos cannot be allowed. That must be clearly defined in the law.”
The Gaming Commission’s official position, published in December 2024, already stated that using logos or brand names of gambling operators through subsidiary companies constitutes advertising under Article 61 of the Gambling Act. Yet the commission has been unable to enforce this effectively.
Illegal Websites and the National Lottery
The loopholes extend beyond legal operators. Vandewalle estimates that approximately 230 illegal gambling websites operate in Belgium without licenses and without paying taxes. “On social media you are flooded with advertising for illegal providers,” he said. “They too must be addressed.”
Meanwhile, the National Lottery has enjoyed an exemption from the advertising restrictions, a situation the Constitutional Court ruled discriminatory in December 2025. The court forced the lottery to stop advertising certain gambling games by the end of 2026, as Knack reported. Vandewalle argues this does not go far enough and calls for a total ban covering “all gambling, lotteries, sports betting, casinos, and so on.”
Evidence of Limited Impact
A large-scale UGent GAMSPON study published in March 2026 found that stricter gambling advertising rules have had little effect on overall gambling behavior. Nearly one in three Belgians over 15 gambles at least once a year, with 8 percent gambling weekly and almost 3 percent at risk of personal harm. Digital gambling is growing in popularity, particularly among 25-34 year olds.
Researcher Steffi De Jans noted a direct link between advertising exposure and gambling behavior: “During the European Championship we noticed that people bet more often on matches when they are exposed to advertising or sponsorship.” Five out of ten Belgians still notice gambling advertising despite the stricter rules.
Calls for a Total Ban
In July 2026, the Flemish Expertise Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs (VAD) and UGent researchers called for a total ban on all gambling marketing and sponsorship. VAD director Katleen Peleman warned that “for the gambling industry, the link to sport is a particularly powerful marketing tool. By associating with popular sports competitions and clubs, the sector creates a positive, connecting and healthy image, while the risks of gambling fade into the background.”
VAD expert Femke Wijgaerts highlighted the National Lottery’s continued prominence: “The National Lottery is still allowed to advertise prominently on radio and TV, which contributes to the overall normalization of gambling.”
Enforcement Challenges
The Gambling Commission faces significant structural obstacles. Its control service is “structurally understaffed,” according to its own spokesperson. The commission lacks the authority to amend or supplement legislation, and the Pro League is challenging the advertising ban through the Council of State.
Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) expressed regret that sports clubs are not seeking alternative sponsors. Her cabinet noted that choosing sites like Circus Daily demonstrates “little social responsibility, especially towards vulnerable groups at risk of gambling addiction.” Until 2028, direct shirt sponsorship by gambling companies remains permitted under strict conditions, with logos limited to 72 square centimeters and prohibited on the front of shirts.
International Context
The Netherlands implemented a total ban on gambling sponsorship in sports from July 1, 2025, with Dutch clubs facing estimated losses of 40 million euros in direct sponsorship income and 30 million in indirect media income. The Dutch regulator has expressed concern about the Belgian situation, as NOS reported, and is considering how to prevent similar circumvention.
What’s Next
The Gambling Commission’s call for a law review adds pressure on the federal government to address the legislative gaps. Vandewalle is blunt about the stakes: “Currently we are doing a bad job. Legal gambling companies have found a loophole, illegal websites can advertise freely, and lotteries are still allowed to encourage people to gamble through advertising.”
He insists the solution is clear: “We must ensure that legal and illegal providers can no longer advertise, so that you get a level playing field. The law must be airtight, for all gambling.” With the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the National Lottery, growing research evidence, and mounting political pressure, the debate over Belgium’s gambling advertising framework is far from settled.